Steam-boiler furnace.



.l JZ

6 0000 23 i9 O 00 O00 v r O 000 Z'azeaaafi k,

Patented July 8, I902. H. B. MEECH.

STEAM BOILER FURNACE.

(Application filed Nov. 14, 1901.)

(llo Model.)

2 Sheets-Shed I.

arm'jwzgwiewi m: NOFIRXS PEIEHS ca, PHOYC-LITHO.WASHING'ION. a c

No. 704,353. Patented July ,8, 1902.

4 H. B. MEECH.

STEAM BOILER FURNACE.

(Application filed Nov. 14, 1901. (No llodeL) -2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

OOOOOOO OGOOOOO O O O O O O O O J5 G O o O O O 0 (SJ/W mra'am W d m:mums PEYERS co, PrlcKl-Lnuc WASHINGTON. a c

Nrr D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON B. MEECH,

OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-BOILER FURNACE.

3EEQIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,353, dated July 8,1902.

Application filetlNovemher 14, 1901. Serial No. 82,308. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON B. Manon, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Boiler Furnaces, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steam-boiler furnaces.

The object of my invention is to produce a greater quantity of heat fromcoal and to utilize the heat to the utmost of its efficiency.

The invention consists in coking the coal and liberating the gases andthen burning the coke and gases with hot air on the grates, therebypreventing smoke and producing a better combustion and a greaterquantity of heat from the coal.

The invention consists, further, in the combination of areverberatory-furnace bed under the boilers so constructed that theflames from the coke, gases, and air reverberating under the boiler, inconnection'with a radiating caleine-bed or molten liquid on thefurace-bed, will produce a better continuous flame and a greaterradiation of heat on the boiler.

The invention further consists in a better and more complete utilizationof the heat so produced. After the flame passes the boilertubes it isconducted around the retorts to coke the coal and then to thewater-heater to heat the water and air to be used in the generation ofsteam.

In the drawings forminga part of this specification, Figure 1 is asectional side elevation of a steam-boiler furnace including myinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional front elevation of saidfurnace, but with the waterheater omitted. Fig. 3 is a sectional planview of the same. Fig. 4.is a transverse seetional elevation of aportion of the, furnace.

Like characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

On reference to Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown at A a tubular stea1n-boilerinclosed by the brickwork of the reverberatory furnace B, while thewater-heater O is located above the boiler A and may be sustained in anyconvenient manner. In the front of the furnace I arrange a cokin -retortor a series of such retorts, as 2, three of them being shown, and

as horizontally disposed in a line or row. The inner ends of theseretorts, which are of tubular form, are open and are located above thegrate 8, and the outer ends of said retorts are situated in line withthe outer wall of the furnace. The grate 3 is located above the ash-pit4, and said grate may be of the shaking and dumping kind, it having ashaking-rod 5 extending forwardly'therefrom and through the front wallof the furnace. The fire-box or grate-chamber is denoted by 6, and ithas a side opening '7, provided at its outer end with a hinged door 8,by which access may be readily had to the fire-box or gratechamber. Therow of coking-retorts 2 is supported at or near the inner ends of saidretorts by the wall 9, and the said retorts are sustained at their outerends by the faceplate or front wall 9 of the furnace.

A pair of horizontally-disposed partitions isdenoted by 10, they beingsuperposed and located above and below the row of retorts and beingconnected with the side wall of the furnace, so as to form a chamber 10,in which said retorts are located and which insures the heat passingaround said retorts.

The bed of the furnace is denoted by 11, and it has a depression orconcavity, as 12, having a tap-hole 13, communicating with the pipe 14,built into the brickwork of the furnace. This pipe is inclined and isnormally plugged, (the plug not being shown;) but when the plug iswithdrawn the contents of the depression or concavity can be run off.The depression or concavity 12 is located in the line of heat-currentspassing from the fire-box 6, and it is adapted to contain a suitablemolten and heat-radiating material, (designated by 15,) such as silica,salt, and lime, or any combination that will melt easily. Theheat-currents passing from the fire-box are applied directly to thismaterial 15, and the heat radiating from the same is applied directly tothe boiler withgreat intensity, and the flame passes through the tubesof said boiler without soot or ashes. The bottom of thefurnace-bed,which is basin-shaped or concaved and which receives themolten mass 15, slopes rearwardly toward the tap-hole 13. A smallquantity of ashes is taken ofi at times with the products of combustion,and such,

ashes strike the upright baffle-walls or halfpartitions 1G and arethereby caused to fall into the molten mass 15, being thereby preventedfrom passing through the boiler-fiues, and hence into the stack. Whenthe said molten mass loses its efficiency, which it will do eventuallyby reason of an accumulation of the ash therein, I draw olf the samethrough the tap-hole 13 and deliver into the basin or concavity 12 afresh supply of such material. I arrange in the path of theheat-currents and resting upon the bed of the furnace the partition 16,said partition extending approximately half-way across the furnace andbeing arched to agree with the curvature of the boiler and beingcontiguous to said boiler. The reverberatorypartitions are arranged instaggered form to cause the heat-currents to traverse a circuitous path.The heat-currents after leaving the concaved bed 11 pass into thechamber 17 at the rear of the boiler and then through the boiler-tubesinto the chamber 18 at the front of the boiler. The forward chamber 18is connected with the retortinclosing chamber 10 by a conduit or passage19,'formed suitably in one wall or side (shown as the left in Fig. 2) ofthe furnace. The heatcurrents then circulate around the retorts 2 forthe purpose of coking their contents. One of the walls of the furnace isprovided with a passage 22, into which the heat-radiating substances canbe suitably delivered, said passage opening into the depression orconcavity 12 of the furnace-bed 11. The heated air-currents passing fromthe chamber 10 enter the conduit 21 and traversing the same enter thechamber A, in which the water-- heater O is located, passing from thenceby the short conduit B to the stac 22, and said conduit 21 is furnishedwith a damper 23.

On the forward side of the furnace is arranged a row of hoppers, as 24,corresponding in number with the retorts 2 and adapted to delivermaterial into the respective retorts, said hoppers having gates orvalves, as 25, at their lower ends, which are independently operativeand by which the discharge from the several hoppers can be manuallygoverned. The retorts are supplied with coal at their front ends, andsaid ends are equipped with doors, as 26, hinged at their lower edges tothe lower walls of the respective retorts, so that said doors can bedropped down to effect the charging of the retorts. The said retortsinclose followers or plungers, as 27, rigidly secured at the ends ofrods 28, passing through the respective doors. Means of a suitablenature are provided to normally hold these doors shut; but when one isdropped down and the valve or gate 25 of a hopper over the same isopened coal can fall onto said door and be fed into the retort bymanipulating the rod 28, and thereby the follower or plunger. When thedesired quantity of coal has been delivered to the retort, its door willbe closed.

Suitable fiues, as 29, open into the furnace.

Other gases than coal can be introduced into the furnace through theholes 30, which are shown as located between the retorts, or such holesmay be located at any other desired places.

First, fire is made on the grates. is broken up to about chestnut size,then placed in hoppers 24, let into the mouth of retorts 2 byslide-valves 25, doors 26 being closed by raising follower-rods 28, andwith the followers or plungers 27 the coal is pushed forward toward thegrate, and when coked it is pushed onto the grate, then refilled. Thetwo or three retorts are filled alternately, so that the gases from oneretort will burn on the grate with the coke of the-previous retort andso continue.

It is a well-known fact that coal coked in a retort generates gaswithout smoke; also, that the coke will burn longer and give more heatthan the same amount of raw coal. By this invention I coke the coal,generate the gases, burn the gases and hot air and gases by the heat ofthe coke on the grates, producing complete combustion and anintensely-hot flame. The flame heats the fire-brick and calcinesfurnace. The molten material can be made of silicate, salt, and lime orany combination that will melt easily and that will consume the ashes.Thus this great heat radiates on the boiler. The flame passes throughthe fines of theboilerwithoutsootorashes. Theboiler and fines continueclean to receive the heat of the flame. Such a combination will generatemore steam with less coal than is used by the old process.

.My improved furnace makes no smoke. It consumes all the gases andchemically transforms the coal into heat and continues to burn in flamethrough the tubes of the boiler and around the retorts and to thewater-heater. The reverberatory furnace, with its hot firebrick,reverberatory partitions, and molten calcine bottom, will radiate moreheat upon the boiler with less coal than is generally used.

My retorts can be made of fire-brick orfireclay molded and placed levelwith the grates horizontally or upright or at any convenient position,or the retorts may be long and extend farther under the boilers. Thecoal may be shoveled into the retorts and shoved in with a follower orpusher. Slack-dust coal can be also used, although good clean coal ispreferable. The grates are made to preferably shake and dump by aleverfrom without. The fiues of the boiler may be cleaned by opening thedoors in front; but as thereis no soot or ashes to foul the tubes theywill not require much cleaning. The gases escaping from the retorts areburned in the heated top of the coke. Other gases and hot air may beused in combination with the gases of the coal to produce flame heat.Hotl air pipes may be laid in and along the walls The coal and melts thematerial in the bottom of the v of the furnace to heat air or gases, sothat as much heat as possible may be utilized. In some cases I maydispense with the staggered half-partitions 16, which rise from theconcaved bottom 12 of the combustion-chamber of the furnace.

Coal theoretically being a chemical physical production,when heated in amuffle-retort excluded from the air the heat vaporizes the excesschemical combination, which passes OK in fumes and gases, leaving themore solid carbon called coke, which is red-hot, but will not beconsumed and give off its heat without air, (oxygen) The chemical fumesand gases released from the coal are not consumed, but fly away, but ifpassed over and in a hot fire would ignite and make hot flame. It is atthis point in this invention that I create an economic process. Thecoke, redhot, is pushed from the retort onto the grates, there cominginto contact with air burns and gives off its heat-flame. The fumes andgases from the coal in the other retort come into contact with the heatof the coke on the grate and both produce heat-flame. Thence the flameproceeds into the reverberatory flame heat and there continues to makeflame, which flame might be carried several feet with a supply of hotair. By this combination it is readily seen that I produce perfectcombustion of the elements of fuel and by radiation return the heat togenerate steam. This great principle of making heat produce heat is notin use as it should be or will be in the future. By the furnace abovedescribed it is calculated that a great percentage of the heat of thecoal can be utilized over the ordinary way where only about ten (10) percent. of the heat value of the coal is employed to useful effect.

In Fig. 2 I have omitted the water-heater O, and in this constructionthe conduit 21 connects directly with the metal stack 40, sustained byand rising from the boiler A.

It will be understood, of course, that the improved furnace can be usedeither for manufacturing purposes or as a heater for water, air, or thelike in dwellings or other buildings or for use in drying or meltingvarious kinds of substances, for I do not limit the same toanyparticular use, and also that I may inject gases other than those setforth or hot air into said furnace at any point required to continue theflame.

It will be seen that the retorts 2, the grate 3, and the concavity ordepression 12 are situated substantiallyin line or row and that thegrate is between the retorts and the con cavity or reverberatory bed ofthe furnace, so that the coal can be properly coked and the products ofcombustion can be caused to pass from the grate or fire-chamber directlyabove and in direct contact with the molten mass 15, thereby heatingsame, and the mass in turn applies its heat through radiation directlyto the boiler or like device, so as to augment the effect of theproducts of combustion as they pass toward the stack. It will be seenthat the walls 10, which are situated at opposite sides of thecoking-retorts 2, are imperforate, so that the hot air from boiler-fineswhich enters one end of the chamber in which said retorts are disposedis caused to traverse the complete length of the chamber and isdischarged at the opposite end thereof into the water-feed chamber orinto the stack, whereby the full efficiency of such hot air is secured.

Having described the invention, what I claim is- 1. A steam-boilerfurnace havinga bed containing a substance capable of fusing by heat, aboiler free of such substance, and a fire-box, the products ofcombustion from which are adapted to pass between said boiler and bed toheat the boiler and fuse such substance, and such substance when fusedserving to apply radiant heat to the boiler.

2. A steam-boilerfurnace,having abed provided with a substance capableof fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, and a fire-box, the productsof combustion from which are adapted to pass between said boiler andbed, to heat the boiler and fuse said substance, and the latter whenfused serving to apply radiant heat directly to the boiler.

, 3. Asteam-boiler furnace,havingabed provided with a substance capableof fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, a fire-box, the

products of combustion from which are adapt ed to pass between saidboiler and bed, to heat the boiler and fuse said substance, and thelatter when fused serving to apply radiant heat directly to the boiler,and a coking-retort adapted to be heated by such products of combustion,and to discharge its gases into said fire-box.

4. A steam-boiler furnace having a concaved bed, the concavity of whichis adapted to contain a substance capable of fusing by heat, a pluralityof staggered partitions extending partially across and rising from saidbed and connected with the walls of the furnace, a fire-box the productsof combustion from which are adapted to pass between said boiler andconcaved bed to heat the boiler and fuse such substance, and the latterwhen fused serving to apply radiant heat to the boiler.

5. A steam-boiler furnace having a bed pro vided with a substancecapable of fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, a fire-box theproducts of combustion from which are adapted to pass between saidboiler and bed to heat the boiler and fuse such substance, and thelatter when fused serving to apply radiant heat directly to the boiler,a coking-retort adapted to deliver its gas into such fire-box,imperforate partitions connected with the walls of the furnace atopposite sides of said retort to thereby form a chamber for inclosingsaid retort, a conduit for delivering such IIO products of combustioninto said chamber and a second conduit adapted to carry the products ofcombustion from said chamber.

6. A steam-boiler furnace having a bed provided with a substance capableof fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, a fire-box the products ofcombustion from which are adapted to pass between said boiler and bed,to heat the boiler and fuse such substance, and the latter when fusedserving to apply radiant heat to the boiler, a row ofhorizontally-disposed coking-retorts adapted to deliver their gas intothe fire-box, superposed horizontal walls above and below said retortsand connected with the side walls of the furnace to form a chamber, aconduit connected with one end of said chamber for delivering productsof combustion into one end of said chamber, and a second conduitconnected with the opposite end of said chamber for carrying off theproducts of combustion therefrom.

7. A steam-boiler furnace,having a bed provided with a substance capableof fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, a fire-box, the products ofcombustion from which are adapted to pass between said boiler and bed tosimultaneously heat the boiler and fuse said substance, and the latterwhen fused serving to apply radiant heat directly to the boiler, astack, a chamber in communication with the stack, and adapted to receivethe products of combustion, and a coking-retort extending through saidchamber, and the inner end thereof being located in the fire-box.

8. The combination of a combustion-chamber provided with a substancecapable of f using by heat, a receptacle arranged in saidcombustion-chamber, and a fire-box the products of combustion from whichare adapted to pass between said receptacle and said substance, to heatsaid receptacle and fuse such substance, and such substance when fusedserving to apply radiant heat to said receptacle.

9. A steam-boiler furnace having a combustion-chamber provided with aconcaved bottom containing a substance capable of fusing by heat, aboiler above said concaved bottom, a fire-box the products of combustionfrom which are adapted to pass between said boiler and concaved bottom,to simultaneously heat the boiler and fuse such substance,

and the latter when fused serving to apply radiant heat to the boiler, aplurality of staggered partitions extending partially across and risingfrom said concaved bottom, a chamber adapted to receive the products ofcombustion after the same have passed from said combustion-chamber, anda coking-retort extending through said last-mentioned chamber and itsinner end being situated in the fire-box.

10. A steam-boiler including a concaved bed, a mass in the concavity ofsaid bed capable of fusing by heat, a plurality of staggered partitionsextending partially across and rising from said bed, and connected withthe walls of the furnace, a retort, a grate between said retort andconoaved bed, a steamboiler having fines and arranged above said bed, achamber inclosing said retort and communicating with the fines of theboiler, a second chamber above the boiler and in commn nication with thefirst chamber, a waterheater in said second chamber, and a stackconnected with said second chamber.

11. A steam-boilerfurnace,having a bed pro vided with a substancecapable of fusing by heat, a boiler above said bed, a series of retorts,a fire-box havingvgrates located between the retorts and furnace-bed,and the products of combustion from the fire-box being adapted to passbetween said boiler and bed, to simultaneously heat said boiler and fusesaid substance, and the latter when fused serving to apply radiant heatdirectly to the boiler, and a fiue-chamberin communication with thefront end of the boiler and inclosing said retorts, and in communicationwith the boiler-stack.

12. A steam-boiler furnace including abed having a concavity, asubstance in said concavity capable of fusing by heat, a plurality ofstaggered half-partitions in the furnacebed, a series of retorts, afire-box intermediate the retorts and furnace-bed, a series of hot-airtubes or pipes along the walls of the furnace, communicating with thefire-box, a flue or tubular boiler above said concavity and fire-box,and the products of combustion from the latter being adapted to passbetween said boiler and concavity and serving to heat the boiler andfuse such substance and the latter when fused serving to apply radiantheat directly to the boiler, a flue-chamber connected with the front endof such boiler and passing around said retorts, and a chamber above theboiler containing a waterheater, communicating with a flue whichsurrounds said retorts, and in communication with the stack.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HARRISON B. MEEOH. WVitnesses:

BJM. L. BURRows, WALLACE C. BEEBE.

